Dusty Silver
by kittycatcego
Summary: What happens when an old chest in the attic is opened and treasures untouched for years are unearthed? The answer to that would be: magic. Of course any magic in this family has something to do with Narnia...
1. Introduction

The first thing you noticed was the dust. It made a thick carpet on the floors and floated down from the ceiling creating a mysterious, slightly magical aura. I tread lightly on the creaky wooden planks of my grandmother's attic but still managed to leave dark prints where my feet landed. I'd climbed up the stairs in a slight daze created by the lazy afternoon ahead combined with the heavenly prospect of a responsibility free summer. Now that I'd made the effort to scale the ladder I decided it would be interesting to see what treasures and secrets I might unearth in the seemingly centuries untouched boxes and trunks piled helter-skelter in a maze-like way.

Slowly I almost tiptoed along, pulling my dark tresses onto my shoulder in an effort to avoid the dust particles in the air. My luminous blue eyes gazed at my surroundings trying to assess where to search first. Should I look in the dark mahogany bureau ahead? Or perhaps the velvet covered jewelry box on my left? Finally though, I came across an enormous wooden trunk with golden paint chipping of the corners that seemed the most likely place for some exciting find. I lifted the lid cautiously fearful of what creepy insects may crawl inside, but to my surprise found an almost impeccable inside. Fascinated by the unimaginable objects I might find inside I started peeling away layer after layer at the contents until the chest's fabric lining lay bare under my hands. I'd found several curious items, a piece of silky fur that appeared to have been the sleeve of some old coat, a couple of letters addressed to a certain Susan, an old leather journal and fountain-pen and some green and yellow rings in a small brown paper bag. I was starting to unfold one of the letters when something glinting caught my eye. I leaned over the inside of the trunk to discover a delicate chain with several silver charms. I looked carefully at the charms to see an intriguing series of depictions: a small lion, a sophisticated crown, a bow with an arrow, a faun, an old-style wardrobe, a fragile leaf, a mermaid perched on a rock and a thin wand. I held the bracelet carefully since such an ancient object was surely prone to disintegrating. After this unexpected event I decided it might be best to leave the rest of the attic alone for the day and ask my Gran what exactly she had stored up here.


	2. Chapter 1

"Gran! Graaaan!" my voice echoed in the narrow hallway of the familiar place. Whispers of my voice bounced back to me, amplifying the words in such a way that they became a thick blanket of sound. Hard to miss.

"Yes dear?" my Grandma's voice called out sweetly, the lilting gentleness had always seemed a smooth soft touch that cured all troubles instantly, her voice was the one I'd always searched for as a little girl when I'd been hurt or my heart ached.

"I was up in the attic just now, how long has it been since you last went up there? It's filthy." I grimaced at the last part to emphasize.

"Well, maybe it's been a couple of years… It's hard for me to go up the ladder, you know. Did you find anything interesting?"

"Yes actually, I wanted to ask you about it. I found an old trunk up there. It had a couple of odd things."

When I mentioned the trunk, I saw a faraway look enter her eyes, it was a look I'd only ever truly seen when she mentioned my grandfather or my parents. I'd long associated it with her memories of the past, of unseen and unheard secrets my grandmother kept from me. What was it about this trunk that made her float away like that?

"Gran, do you want to talk about it?" with that she shook her head and the dazed look disappeared. I'd used this method before, with mixed results. "Well, I don't know… The thing is I haven't talked about this for a long time, not even with your father. He never knew, I was afraid he would be scared of me if I told him. Will you promise me you'll listen to my story with an open mind?"

It was an odd request, after all what story was she going to tell me that she'd been too scared to tell my own father? However, the contents of that trunk were a looming question in my mind, and the fact that their significance was so great made me all the more curious to know. "Yes, I'll listen without judging you."

"You see, this is a very long story. The things inside of that trunk all have a different story. Did you find that piece of fur? That was from a coat I used a long time ago in a very odd place. Let me just say, it involved an enormous wardrobe…"


End file.
